Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado launches a first- inning grand slam, his 40th home run of the season, during a game at Coors Field on September 26, 2015 . (Dustin Bradford, Getty Images)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — ROOT Sports will once again televise the Rockies season, beginning with a March 14 spring training game against the Seattle Mariners in Peoria.

All told, ROOT will televise six spring training games and 150 regular-season games.

Here is the complete press release from ROOT Sports:

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies and ROOT SPORTS™ announced today the network’s 2016 Colorado Rockies telecast schedule. The network will air 150 Rockies regular season games and six Spring Training games. Coverage begins March 14 with a matchup between the Rockies and Mariners in Peoria, Arizona.

ROOT SPORTS’ regular season coverage begins with the season-opener on Monday, April 4, featuring a special one-hour pregame show in Arizona before the Rockies face the Diamondbacks. First pitch is at 7:40 p.m. MT. The Rockies will open at Coors Field against the Padres on Friday, April 8, with pregame coverage beginning at 1 p.m. MT.

PHOENIX — Jenny Cavnar has quite a baseball pedigree. She gets a chance to exhibit it in a new forum — and make some history — beginning Thursday night when the Rockies take on the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Cavnar, a sideline reporter and studio host for ROOT Sports Rockies coverage since 2012, will join Jack Corrigan and Jerry Schemmel in the KOA radio booth for Thursday, Friday and Saturday’s games.

It was Corrigan who asked Cavnar to help out with the KOA broadcast. According to KOA, Cavnar is the first woman to do color commentary on the radio for a National League team.

Suzyn Waldman has been the color commentator for New York Yankees baseball, working with John Sterling on radio broadcasts, since 2005, first for WCBS-AM and currently for WFAN in New York City.

Corrigan and Schemmel will be splitting time with ROOT Sports TV coverage, filling in for usual play-by-play man Drew Goodman for those three games. Goodman will rejoin the ROOT broadcast team for Sunday afternoon’s game.

No. 2: What is this stuff about second baseman DJ LeMahieu being in the “Janet Jackson Zone.”

Let’s start with No. 1.

It’s really quite simple. Manager Walt Weiss frequently refers to Dickerson as a “natural born hitter.” So good, and so natural, in fact, Weiss has said: “Dickie could wake up, roll out of bed and hit on Christmas morning.” Hence, “Merry Christmas.”

Weiss has also said Dickerson could “hit under water,” and Dickerson could “hit in his sleep.”

I prefer the Christmas morning reference, even if I don’t quite get it. But, as a reader pointed out, Weiss’ reference is not unique or original. Former Kansas City Royals GM John Schuerholz once said: “George Brett could roll out of bed on Christmas morning and hit a line drive.”

Dickerson said he now gets tweets and messages from fans and friends with Christmas themes attached. It seems to be catching on.

OK, now on to No. 2. This one is weird, way out of left field and the result of an inside joke between too strange sports writers.

As a singer, Janet Jackson knew her limitations and still became a star. (The Associated Press)

I was driving to Surprise, Ariz., during spring training along with my good friend Thomas Harding of MLB.com. We were passing the time listening to an oldies station when a Janet Jackson song came on the radio.

I remarked to Thomas that I never thought Janet Jackson could sing.

“It’s all electronics and background vocals and stuff,” I said.

Thomas, who considers himself something of a pop music expert, disagreed.

“Janet could sing a little bit,” he said. “She just knew what songs to sing, and she knew to stay within her range. Kind of like DJ LeMahieu on offense.”

I’m usually not shocked by anything Thomas says, but this one caught me off guard.

“So you are equating DJ LeMahieu to Janet Jackson?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s the perfect analogy,” Thomas insisted.

So, the next day, unbeknownst to Thomas, I informed Weiss of the LeMahieu-Janet Jackson connection. Weiss was, shall we say, perplexed, if not slightly amused.

That night, LeMahieu hit a double in a Cactus League game.

“As DJ was running to second base, all I could think of was ‘wardrobe malfunction,” Weiss deadpanned.

Last Wednesday night in San Francisco after the Rockies beat the Giants, I asked Weiss, “Is DJ still in the Janet Jackson zone?”

Root Sports was still on the air. All Weiss could do was laugh, look around the room and blame Thomas for instigating me. (He didn’t, by the way).

SAN DIEGO — Juan Nicasio wanted to take a shower before he talked to the media Tuesday night after winning his second game in three starts in this young season.

Not a big deal, right? Then again …

Nicasio has changed, for the better. He’s more confident as a pitcher and as a major-leaguer. Last year, he wouldn’t have asked us to wait for him to shower, he would simply have waited for us at his locker. He’s as courteous as ever, but he’s more in charge, more his own man.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Juan Nicasio works against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 15, 2014, in San Diego. (Lenny Ignelzi, The Associated Press)

His English has improved as well (as you can see from the above video). It’s not an easy thing for someone from San Francisco Macoris in the Dominican Republic to make the cultural adjustments the majors requires, but Nicasio is doing it.

Tuesday night, after the Rockies’ 3-2 victory over the Padres, ROOT Sports’ Jenny Cavnar complimented Nicasio on his improved English.

“I’m trying,” he said.

I’m not anointing Nicasio as the next Pedro Martinez, or even the next Ubaldo Jimenez, but he’s beginning to harness his talents and take charge of his career.

Roots Sports filled out its Rockies broadcast lineup today, announcing the hiring of Joel Klatt and Jenny Cavnar. Both have deep Colorado roots.

Klatt, the former University of Colorado quarterback, will be the on-air host of the Rockies pregame show and the Toyota Postgame Shows. Cavnar will be both a sideline reporter and a host.

The duo replaces two longtime Roots Sports personalities. Alanna Rizzo recently signed with the MLB Network and has moved from Colorado to New York. Tom Helmer learned earlier this month that his contract had not been renewed.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.